Developer Diaries

Ratchet: Deadlocked Dev Diary #3

The Second Vow I made to myself was a direct result of my programming work with designers on previous Ratchet & Clank games. The people I worked with seemed like reasonable men and women, sound of mind, who inexplicably came up with setup and gameplay changes in the dire last moments before a demo was to be burned. It seemed inexplicable to me at the time, and when I decided to make the leap I swore that I would make sure every element was utterly correct long before the dark teatime of soul that preceded a major burn.

And so I did most of the time. But during our first major demo as a designer I discovered what event was correlated with the epidemic of last-minute changes: full-disc playthroughs. A setup, a sequence, heck, an entire level it can seem picture-perfect in isolation, but this is one of those special businesses where nothing is truly "in isolation." A given setup can be too hard or easy compared to what's come before, seem out of context with the story, too stingy with help on unfamiliar topics or may just seem anticlimactic in comparison to an amazing experience a player just had.

To my credit, I can only recall a single instance of inexcusable, last-minute change fever on my part (notice judicious use of the phrase "can recall"). It started as a vague brain-itch, but I somehow found myself in a conversation that went something like this (paraphrased for your entertainment):

"So, Jerrod."
"Hey, what's up?"
"There's a problem with 'Swarmer Surprise.'"
"Is it a bug?"
"Define 'bug.'"
"No."
"No, you won't define bug?"
"No, I won't do this thing that is not quite a bug."
"Even if it affects the sense of climax and d¿nouement for the entire Vindicator Tournament?"
"Even then. You're just going to have to live with it."
"Even though we could fix it all with a simple modification that added the surprise, maybe, I dunno, king-sized swarmers or exploding swarmers or swarmers made of delicious kernels of popcorn-"
"Ken."
"Yes?"
"Have you been drinking?"
"Tea. Lots of tea."
"Here's what I can do for you: This conversation never happened. And I'm cutting you off."
"No more tea?"
"None."

And that was that.

If you've read enough dev diaries, you know that for most folks in the industry there's an ultimate moment of validation that makes all the sleepless nights and stress-filled-Taco-Bell binges worthwhile. The previous two diaries described it as that crux point where the polish of the game goes from 40% to 110%; for me, this moment happens earlier and earlier with each project. Whether this is due to my switch in disciplines or the acquisition of a secret Zen wisdom that comes with time is a question best left to the ages. I remember the "moment" for this game exceptionally clearly, though, and I figure it's fun enough to inflict on you all, so here we go.